2016 Valley Forge RPM Meet summary

Had a great time this past weekend at the 2016 Valley Forge RPM Meet.  I want to thank Norm Wolf for inviting me and driving all the way up and back.  Saw lots of great models and some good friends that share this great hobby!  The presentations were good and I saw the biggest home layout you could image on Sunday.

LV locomotives by Ralph Deblasi

LV locomotives by Ralph Deblasi

Love the C&O cabins

Tony Koester's presentation

Ralph Deblasi's weathering techniques

Butch Eyler's amazing work!

Love this crain by Ramon Rhodes

My models

SNCR loco way out of place in PA but looks sensational.

Ken McCorry's layout visit.  On the way home, we stopped by Ken McCorry's home layout. This was something out of a modelers dream.  Try 2500 Square feet of layout!  Thanks for Norm taking most of the pictures.  I was handed a controller and ran a train through a few miles on the layout!  This is supposed to be the large private home layout.  I believe it.

Here's the garage (upstairs) that the layout is in.

The dispatchers room below the layout.  By the sizeof this, you know your going to get blown away!(Norm Wolf photo)

Try a train simulator from a train on the layout! (Norm Wolf photo)

This Steel Mill is huge!  There's several on the layout. (Norm Wolf photo)

Here's me amazed by the size!  This is only a corner of it. (Norm Wolf photo)

Valley Forge RPM Meet this weekend

I will be attending the Valley Forge RPM Meet this weekend up near Philadelphia, PA this weekend.  I was planning on attending since Christmas but my hospital visit in January nixed that.  Norm Wolf called me about a month ago and wanted to see if I wanted to go.  He had reservations for him and his wife but she had something come up.  So I do get to go up there after all.  Looking forward to attending as a guess.  Our RPM meet in the Fall is a lot of work and you don't get to socialize as much as you would like.  Looking forward to seeing friends of this great hobby and just getting away for a few days!

2016 Valley Forge RPM Meet


Our RPM meet: Sept 30th and Oct. 1st
2016 Mid-Atlantic RPM Meet

Various work happening on the Midland

Spent the last two weeks doing multiple things in the office.  This includes weathering for a client,experimenting with Pan Pastels and working on a new industry.  Here are my progress photos:

Here's the smaller elevator I chose to add to Orange.  Like most Walthers buildings, they never go together well.  Had to add putty to the seam.  Even though it's a smaller elevator, it barely fits between the levels.

Here it is squeezed between the levels.  The lower level was never planned for the layout and just kinda happened.  I would like more room between the levels but it works fine for ops.

As you can see, I had move the elevator spur.  This gives plenty of room for the structure.  The closest track will be the Norfolk Southern interchange.

May have to change the lights in this area.  Wiring needs to be stapled up.

Some grain hoppers spotted. Will add a grain bin or two to the scene along with a office.   

A new gondola for the Midland.  Been wanting to do a gon with VM spelled out and finally got around to doing one.  This is an Atlas 53 footer.  It definitely needs to be weathered and a tie load added.

This is a Ebay win about a month ago.  It's an old Sylvan resin kit that was totally assembled.  It's an Ex-CP paper boxcar but will enter a second life on the Midland.

 TrainMasters TV from MRH has been running a great weathering series from Mike Confalone in the last month.  He's been  weathering various cars with oils and Pan Pastels.  I finally broke down and bought some back at the February Timonium show.  There not cheap but shop around to find the best price.  Finally tried them out and they work well.  Worked with the Pan Pastels and some oils to weather a Bowser 100 ton Reading hopper.  This was my practice hopper and it turned out quite well.  I'm planning to add CSXT reporting marks and put it in service.

My oils and Pan Pastels working space.  

My results from oils and the pastels.  I like it!